


Learn From Your Mistakes

by meridian_rose (meridianrose)



Category: Da Vinci's Demons
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Bob Ross References, Bob Ross quotes, Gen, Leo & Riario are friends, Leo is a terrible teacher, Trope Bingo Round 8
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-23
Updated: 2017-02-23
Packaged: 2018-09-26 11:44:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 997
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9895118
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/meridianrose/pseuds/meridian_rose
Summary: Art teacher Leo gets poor feedback from his students; when he seeks sympathy from his friends they side with the students. They'd probably be better off watching Bob Ross.





	

"Can you believe it?" Leo threw down his satchel and glared at Zo and Nico. Since they were engrossed in their first-person shooter game his expression of righteous indignation went unappreciated.

"Probably," Zo said, taking out an attacker with some swift key presses.

"You don't even know what I'm talking about." Leo folded his arms. "It was half-term evaluations this week."

"And?" Nico's eyes never left the screen.

"I got awful marks from my students. They think I'm a terrible teacher!"

"Well you are," Zo said. "Ah, you bastard!" This latter was directed at a character who had ambushed Zo's avatar.

"What?" Leo turned to Nico for support. "Nico?"

"You're a terrible teacher," Nico agreed. "Andrea taught me everything I know. In fact I learnt more from watching Bob Ross than I ever did from you."

"What?" Leo scowled. "He's a talented artist, but so what?"

"Bob Ross is a fucking genius." Zo gave a victory cry and then added, "I was high one afternoon, lay on the sofa, and watched an entire season of re-runs. He makes me want to be a better person, let alone a painter."

Leo's mouth fell open. There was the noise of warfare and then silence.

"Come on Leo," Zo said. "He's all 'We don't make mistakes, we have happy accidents'; how can you not love him?"

Leo was not willing to concede that Zo had a point even though last week Leo had said of a smouldering mess on the dining table, "I thought that might happen" which was clearly a lie.

"I'm not saying you aren't inspiring," Nico added, finally bestowing a glance on Leo. "But you don't explain things enough."

Zo nodded. "You try once, like, here's an apple, look at how the light shines on it, now go paint it. People need more than that."

Another fight broke out onscreen. Leo sighed and headed back out.

*

Riario was at The Compromise. The actual name of the pub was The Crown, but since it was a more expensive place than Leo preferred but downmarket from Riario's usual haunts, it had become their chosen venue to socialise in and had been nicknamed appropriately.

Leo ordered a beer and turned to Riario, who was seated at the bar, a half-drunk glass of something imported at his elbow. "I need some sympathy."

Riario gave a slight smile. "Since when does the great artist lack confidence in his own abilities?"

"I'm a fantastic artist," Leo retorted. "But according to my students, I'm a terrible teacher. Look at this!"

Riario received the crumpled up printout from Leo's pocket with barely a grimace, which said quite a lot about their friendship. He smoothed it out on the faux marble bartop and read it, once failing to suppress a smile, twice pausing to sip at his beer.

"Well?" Leo asked, when Riario folded the paper up neatly and returned it to him.

Riario shrugged. "I think they make many good points."

"How can you know that? You're not in my class! Fucking students." Leo took refuge in his beer.

"Fucking students," Riario repeated. "You see that's part of the problem, don’t you? You can't treat these people the way you treat your friends. Zo is practically a saint for putting up with you – and I will deny ever saying that if you dare mention it to him. Nico would have been lost without Andrea's instruction. Vanessa loves you, but she doesn't need you. And I, well, I am fascinated by your intellect. But your students don't need to be fascinated. They need to be nurtured."

Leo tipped his head. "Like a plant?"

Riario stared at him, decided Leo was serious, and gave a serious answer in return. "Yes, Leonardo. Like a plant. Plants need the right environmental conditions in terms of soil, water, sunlight. People need things too. Inspiration, encouragement, advice. But a cactus needs a different sort of attention to a sunflower. You can't just say 'Paint what you see' and expect miracles."

Leo frowned. "You're saying I have to treat each student like they're a different kind of plant?"

"Yes. They each have different needs." Riario picked an example from the anonymised feedback. "'The teacher does not show us how to create' is someone who needs more instruction in how to get started, how to prepare their canvas, how to approach drawing a tree. But 'The teacher does not give feedback' is from someone who is comfortable creating but needs reassurance on what is already good and advice on how to improve what is not."

With a sigh, Leo said, "I don't like to get bogged down in the boring details. And I don't want to stifle people's creativity by telling them they're doing things wrong."

Riario took a swallow of beer before he spoke again. "But this is not about what you want. It is about what they need. You have to find ways to work with your students. Talk to them. Learn about them. Their hopes and fears, why they're taking the class, what they want to achieve. I know you are better with the abstract than the personal, but if you want to be a better teacher, you must learn to interact with people."

"I never wanted to be a teacher." Leo stared at his glass, morose. "I just needed some cash. I didn't think it would be this difficult. I thought I could just show them the love of creating and they'd pick it up the rest as they went along."

"Genius is not communicable," Riario said. "You can't hope it your students will catch it by being close to you physically. You must learn to connect emotionally."

Leo snorted. "Maybe I can just buy put on some Bob Ross instead."

Riario laughed. "He is inspiring. For example I believe he once said 'Sometimes you learn more from your mistakes than you do from your masterpieces." "

"Oh for fuck's sake," Leo said and drained the rest of his beer.

**Author's Note:**

> All the quotes in the fic are actual Bob Ross quotes; check out http://zenofbobross.tumblr.com for more inspiring quotes. The idea of genius as (not) being communicable; in Terry Pratchett's Hogfather the university's archanchellor muses that "We bring students here and hope they catch wisdom off us, don't we?'"  
> Trope Bingo prompt AU: Other (modern setting)


End file.
